A rechargeable battery such as an onboard battery installed in a green vehicle such as an electric vehicle receives input of electric power from an external AC supply through a charger (power converter). At this time, the voltage value input into the charger may vary depending on the external AC supply. To deal with the input voltage values that vary depending on the external AC supply, gain is adjusted for output in a power factor correction (PFC) circuit installed in the charger.
Specifically, in the PFC circuit, gain is adjusted by receiving input of current values respectively corresponding to the multiple input voltage values. When an input voltage value of an external AC supply is read by a control apparatus, for example, an input current value of the PFC circuit is set according to the input voltage value. Since gain is adjusted in this manner in the PFC circuit, the charger can provide a desired output even with different input voltage values.
In a known technique of such a charger, when an input voltage value of an external AC supply is an excess value that exceeds an assumed range, charging, that is, power conversion operation by a charger is stopped, and then power conversion operation by the charger is resumed.
For example, in a conventional technique, when trouble such as being affected by a lightening surge or the like occurs during charging, power conversion operation by a charger is stopped, and when the trouble is resolved, power conversion operation by the charger is resumed.